Shadows of the Heart
by Niccolo
Summary: What if the message in the bottle never arrives? Will Sora and Riku succumb to the darkness within everyone's heart? Rated T for later violence. R&R please! Chapter Eight up.
1. The Gift of Irony

**Disclaimer: Jeez, do I need one of these? You've probably read them on the fifteen _thousand_ other KH fanfics on this site. Okay, basically the only things KH-related that I own are a copy of each of the games, this story, and my ideas.**

**Author's Note: Guys, please be nice. This is my first officially posted fanfic EVER, so don't kill me too dead.**

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 **

Chapter One: The Gift of Irony

Two boys sat quietly on the beach, looking out over the moonlit water. Out in the bay were strange, rocky formations that twisted and bent over themselves, some even re-entering the water. The sky glowed with stars, hundreds of them. Thousands of them in fact, spinning and burning millions upon millions of miles away. "Riku…" the brown haired boy said to the other, a tall silver-white haired boy who was slightly older than him. "Do you think one of those stars is ours?"

Riku's white hair shook. "No, no I don't think so. At least, not as we would remember it. This is the Realm of Darkness, remember?"

Sora nodded, his cerulean eyes filling with sadness. He thought back to what had just happened, only an hour ago.

_It had been a hard fight against the Nobody known as Xemnas, both Riku and Sora nearly dying on several occasions. But Sora had managed to strike the final blow, destroying the first-and last-member of Organisation XIII. When Xemnas had disintegrated, so had his world, the strange grey-and-white world that he had fought Sora and Riku in. Riku, who had been severely injured in the final moments of the fight, had needed Sora's shoulder to even move. Yet there was nowhere for them to go. A flash of light, a hurried dash, and the two had ended up on this strange beach, a beach forever cloaked in darkness. They had arrived in the Realm of the Dark, a place that Sora had thought he had sealed off over a year ago._

_Yet worlds have many entrances. And sure as eggs were eggs, this was most definitely the Realm of Darkness. Sora couldn't tell, but Riku knew. He'd been on this beach several times before._

_--Few minutes later—_

_Riku had asked Sora to help him down to the water. He was sitting there now, his best friend at his side. "Sora… the world needs both Light and Dark," he had said. "So, we'll be the Dark."_

_Sora had looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah…"_

"Riku, what will we do now? We're stuck here, right?" Sora asked the platinum-haired boy anxiously.

"Exactly what I said. We'll be the darkness, Sora. It's time for us to set aside the Light and become darkness."

Sora watched him worriedly. It had been a scant three hours since Riku had foregone the powers of darkness when DiZ's machine had exploded. Could Riku be reverting? He didn't want to see his friend claimed once more by the shadows within him. But that was what it meant to 'become the darkness', right? As if reading his mind, RIku smiled crookedly. "Sora, don't worry about me. I lived with 'that' within me for over a year, you know. I can handle it. You should worry about yourself," he warned. "You've never become like me, so there's no telling what will happen."

Sora shuddered. "Riku, I'm scared."

Riku wrapped an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. "Sora, don't worry. You got me, right?" he grinned a cheesy grin, eliciting a punch to the arm.

"Idiot," Sora mumbled.

* * *

Riku sat in the cold sand, his knees drawn up and his hands clasped around them. Sora was fast asleep next to him, muttering strange things in his dreams.

The white haired teen was honestly quite worried for his young friend. The prospect of someone as good-natured and kind as Sora becoming the darkness in the universe was, quite frankly, scary._ Damned portal, opening here. Why couldn't it have opened to the Islands? Wasn't that what always happened in those movies? Seconds before the closing credits rolled, a portal opens to safety for the hero?_ Riku cursed himself silently for his stupidity at dragging Sora into this. Had he not mentioned it, they both would have likely spent their years trying to find a way back into the light, rather than deciding to succumb to the darkness. _But still... Xemnas, you bastard. You're probably somewhere laughing your dead ass off 'cause the 'warriors of light and hope' are stuck in the Realm of Darkness. Damned Irony._

Riku didn't deal too well with irony. .Last time he had encountered irony, it was while he had become Ansem-Riku. Oh boy, Maleficent had never let him live that down. _"Hah! To save the girl, you GAVE IN to the power that seeks to use her!"_ being her daily greeting to the then-younger and possessed Riku. But it had been true, the past two years had been a case study in irony.

But Riku had a sneaking suspicion that the portal held more evil surprises in store. Apparently Xemnas loved his jokes, as the silver-white-haired youth believed that this world, the beach that he and his friend now occupied, was in actual fact the Islands. Just the dark side of the Islands. _If that's right, then there is a 'dark' version of all the lands?_ Riku pondered this idea, gradually feeling sleep claim him. His leg hurt like hell but he put it out of his mind, reclining back with his hands clasped behind his head, letting sleep pull him down into its depths...

* * *

"Riku! Riku! Wake up, dammit!" Sora roughly shook the sleeping boy, but to no avail. He suddenly grinned evilly. He ran down to the sea and cupped his hands, about to scoop some water up to splash his sleeping friend with. It was still dark-It probably always was-but the moon was up, a pale blue full moon. Sora bent over to scoop up some water, but the moonlight glinted off of something half-buried in the sand at the bottom of the ankle-deep water. He tugged it out and washed the sand off before examining it. 'It' was a bottle, a green bottle that had been smashed open. "Maybe it had a message in it?" Sora wondered half-excitedly, searching around for the letter. Sora stopped, smacking himself in the face. "Idiot... the letter would have melted in the water. Oh well, I can use this instead of my hands," he smirked, using the bottom half of the smashed bottle (The top half was nowhere in sight) to scoop up some salty water. He raced up the sand to where his friend was asleep and tipped the bottle over Riku. Understandably, Riku woke up pretty quickly.

The two boys walked side by side down the beach, trying to find something, _anything,_ that could be some sort of civilisation. "Riku... you're still pissed, aren't you?"

The silvery-haired boy said nothing, only scowled at his friend. "Damn, I was afraid of that," Sora muttered. At least Riku couldn't get back at him just yet; he could barely walk without Sora to help him. He suddenly felt Riku stop, a slight pressure on his shoulders. Sora looked at his friend. "Riku? What's the matter? Is your leg-" Riku was busy staring at something, too entranced to reply. Sora followed his friend's line of sight and gaped. "Riku... That's..."

Off in the distance was a building, lights shining out of each window. The warm glow of the windows seemed to call to the two youngsters, who set off at the fastest pace allowed for by Riku's injured leg. Salvation was nigh...

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**To my readers: Please, Read and Review! There's a lonely button on the bottom left of the page. The more the reviews, the faster chapter two goes up. And please, don't hesitate to tell me how I could improve.**

Niccolo


	2. Can You balance?

**Disclaimer: I, in fact, own shares in Square Enix. Not really. I only own a copy of the games, my ideas, and this story.**

**Author's Talk: Well, thankyou to my kind reviewer. I know I said I'd take a little longer, but hey. Here's chapter two.  
**

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Chapter 2: Can You Balance?

Sora was practically dragging the older boy when they finally got to the building. As the two had gotten closer, the building had become identifiable as a house, a mansion several stories high. It was set on a miniature peninsula of what had to be an island, about a hundred metres from the water. The large house blocked the view directly behind it, but across the water Riku could see several smaller islands, some of which looked _very_ familiar. It just further justified the uneasy feeling he had, that in a sense, he and Sora were home.

The two youngsters came to a halt at the front gate which was HUGE. It was easily three or four times as tall as Riku was, putting it at well over six metres. The bars of the gate were as thick as his arm and ornately twisted. Topping the gate off were spikes that were definitely _not_ for decoration. Sora shuddered as he looked at the twelve inch, serrated spikes that were set along the rim of the gate. "Good Lord... I hope whoever owns this house doesn't actually _need_ those things!"

Riku grimaced as he tried hard not to imagine what the spearheads would do to someone. Which is actually very difficult, considering several of the spikes appeared to glisten in the moonlight. Riku didn't want to know why.

Sora looked around, hoping to find an intercom or something. He found it, a small grey box attached to one of the pillars that the gate's hinges were on. He pressed the button and a very loud 'GONG!' was heard from the direction of the house.

Presently, the intercom buzzed and a raspy, crackly voice was emitted. Sora nearly jumped back in fright, but Riku's weight on his shoulder caused him to stumble instead. "Whaddaya want?" the grating voice asked harshly. Sora answered in a quivering voice. "U-um, can we come in? My friend's inj-"

Riku poked him in the ribs. "Idiot, you have to press the button to speak back to them," he said, laughing slightly.

Sora turned red and held the button down. "Sir, can we come in? My friend's injured, and we have no clue where we are," he said in a more confident voice.

The raspy voice was silent for a moment. "Are you... Heartless?"

Sora growled under his breath and stabbed the button again. "What the HELL? Why would Heartless ask to be let in? What makes you think we're Heartless?!"

The raspy voice cut off any further explosions. "Can't be too careful. Okay, I'm opening the gate. There are active, automated weapons situated along the driveway.

They shall let only two people pass. Any more, and they will open fire."

Sora rolled his eyes. "Riku, what have we gotten ourselves into?" he whispered to his friend as the gates began to creak open.

Sora reluctantly dragged Riku down the path, passing the machine-guns that were tracking their every movement. "This-This is really creepy, you know?"

"Yeah... I just hope that guy doesn't decide that he doesn't want us anymore," Riku said dryly. "I don't think I could even move without your help."

Sora smiled. "Trust you to have a dark sense of humour, Riku. Jeez, you spent waaay too much time in the darkness."

Riku shook his head. "We're both in it now, you know. So I've just got a head start on you, that's all."

The gigantic double doors were covered in delicate carvings of roses. The petals and stems were gilded, making them stand out in the pale blue light of the full moon. The door was a dark wood that neither boy recognised. The doorknobs were skulls, made of polished brass. Sora reached out to grasp one, grimacing at the ghastly thing. Befor he could touch it, the door opened with a creak. The man who opened the door was caught in backlight, so that his features couldn't be clearly seen. All that was clear was that their host had long hair. The figure stood there and stared at them for a while, before stepping back out of sight to pull the door open. "Come in, you two," their host invited in a warm voice that was vaguely familiar to Sora. Where had he heard it before?

Sora hauled his injured friend inside. "Thankyou, Mister... uh... AH?!"

The man stepped out from behind the door. "Good to see you again, Wielder of the Key." Sephiroth watched him closely, his cold eyes boring into them.

"What the-Where'd you come from?" Sora yelled, stepping backwards and arming himself with a thought.

Sephiroth raised his hands, warding off the imminent attack. "Come now boys, is that any way to greet the one who invited you into their house? If you must know, I live here. The world of light bored me, as did Cloud's incessant searching," the silver-haired man said calmly. "No hard feelings... but I see you still have that Key that I wanted."

Sora looked down at his weapon. It was, as it always has been, an oversized key. From the handle, twin grey-white rods shot out parallel, joining at the end with a large star-shape. Jangling from the handle in the other direction was a keychain, ending in a miniature paopu that was made for him by his friend Kairi. "I hope you're not gonna try and take it off of me again?"

Sephiroth shook his head, long silver locks swaying. "No, I'm quite happy with my _Masamune_. It's good enough to take out the Heartless which bother me here, though the keyblade could bring in business..." Sephiroth seemed lost in thought.

"Business?"

"Yes, business. See, this mansion here is a hotel for those who come to Destiny Islands," Sephiroth smiled, waving a hand at the building around them.

"De-Destiny Islands? You mean..." Sora spun on Riku. "Di-Did you know?"

Riku frowned. "I suspected, Sora. And thanks to Mr. Sephiroth here, I've confirmed it. This is the Realm of Darkness' equivalent of our old home."

Sora couldn't speak, the shock was too great. He just stood there, startled and confused. Sephiroth grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you used to live here," he smirked.

Riku just glared at him. "Don't push it, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever you say, kid."

"I'm Riku, not 'kid!"

"Like I said, whatever you say. Now, are you two going to rent a room or not?"

* * *

Sora sat on a couch in the lobby, staring dumbly at a carving set in a nook on the wall opposite him. Sephiroth-apparently the manager-and Riku were talking softly about something, but Sora didn't know what. He didn't care, either.

_It feels really weird to be home... but I'm not home, am I? This isn't home; this is the realm of darkness..._ The reality of their situation was just beginning to sink in to the brunette's brain. They were stuck not in a different world to his friends, but a completely different realm. Now there was probably no chance of ever seeing them-_her-_again.

Riku argued softly with the manager. "We don't have any money! How are we supposed to pay for a room?"

"No money, no room."

"But, just one night! Just until we figure out what we are gonna do with ourselves! Please?"

Sephiroth sighed. "Kid, this is the Realm of **Darkness.** Are you really expecting to encounter kindness here?"

Riku stopped, his next comeback dying on the tip of his tongue. He let his breath out with a sigh. "I s'pose not..."

"Well... You'd be wrong. There are a couple of nice people around somewhere... you just have to find them. They live under rocks and such. " Sephiroth smiled crookedly, and then rested his head in his right hand. "Look, I have a big group of tourists coming in on Wednesday. They're staying for a week, then nicking off to the next city. I'm going to need some security, Heartless love to attack the tourist groups."

Riku could see where this was going. "So... you want us to be guards for this place?"

Sephiroth nodded. "When I fought that brown haired kid, I discovered he was pretty strong. If you're anything like him, then you are too. So, I want you two to work for me. I'll be busy with logistics and all that, so I won't have time to guard the idiots who feel like snorkelling on the reef out back. And if you guys are any good, I'll consider hiring you two on permanently once the group leaves."

Riku clapped his hands together and almost fell over; he'd had to let go of the counter he had been holding on to stand up. Sephiroth sighed. "That is, of course, if you can actually balance."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

**Well, that was chapter two.**

**Riku: What kind of weird Realm of Darkness is this?**

**Me: Well, I'm gonna explain that. Probably soon. Depends how many people review,**

**Riku: Readers, review! I wanna know what the Hell the author is smoking!**

** Me: Yeah, please do R+R.**

**Till next time folks! **

** Niccolo  
**


	3. Fire, Water and Chaos

**Disclaimer: You'll know when I own KH. 'Cause there'll be some sort of evangelistic crying out Hallelujah! **

**Author Talk: Well gee, I managed to get reviews! I'm so happy! Um... I woulda liked more...  
**

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Chapter 3: Fire, Water and Chaos

"C'mon, Sora! Keep your guard up!"

Sora hurriedly blocked Riku's swipe, bending his knees slightly under the impact. Riku jumped back slightly, readying himself for the next 'round.'

Sora watched Riku's blade, knowing it would betray the taller boy's next move. It was an interesting weapon, similar in design to Riku's old wingblade. The main body was an extended bat's wing, with a smaller one where the teeth of the key would be. Riku had given it some poetic name, _Path to Dawn _or some such nonsense.

"It's _Way to the Dawn,_ idiot," Riku growled, as if reading his mind. "And if you think MY blade's name is poetic nonsense, what about YOURS?"

Sora glanced down at _Oathkeeper._ "Hey, leave my keyblade alone!" On the last syllable, he dashed for Riku, swinging wildly. It was surprisingly effective, Riku's keyblade knocked flying after the third strike. He barely had time to call it back to block the forth, but slowly began to push Sora back.

Riku went on the offensive now, striking at all angles, seeking an opening. He locked his blade with Sora's, stepping in close to try and use his greater strength to force the younger boy's knees to the ground. Sora hastily disentangled himself and took a couple of steps back for grinning madly. He pointed his keyblade at Riku, and a ball of fire was flung off. The platinum-haired boy only just managed to dodge the fireball. "Hey, no fair! AH!" Riku had to keep dodging and rolling to avoid Sora's magical barrage, the grassy field they were duelling on soon pitted with scorch-marks and slippery frozen patches.

Riku sidestepped, trying to get to a better angle to attack. There wasn't much he could do about the fireballs, he wasn't even sure that he could create a shield any longer. Sora took a step forwards, trying to once more close the gap. He slipped on an icy patch, ending up on his back. Riku certainly didn't let the chance go by, his blade resting lightly on Sora's throat. "Gotcha."

There was the sound of clapping, Riku and the still-lying Sora looked over, seeing Sephiroth standing there watching them, _Masamune_ on his belt. "Bravo, Riku, Sora. How long have you two actually been out here?"

'Out here' was on a hummock about a hundred metres from the front gate of the mansion, a grassy field. Riku looked up to try and tell the time from the sun, but it had set already. The two had learned that the realm of Darkness DID in fact have a daytime, but the sun was cold and not really all that bright. "Um… we've been out here since before sunset. About an hour before, I think."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Now listen here. You two have been stupidly bashing away at each other for four and a half hours. You two mustn't kill yourselves, your job starts tomorrow." Riku and Sora nodded mutely, Sora with some difficulty.

"Now, are you going to let Sora stand up?"

* * *

Sora was sitting on the roof of the mansion, staring out over the ocean. Whenever he had nothing to do, his thoughts always turned to the life that he had been forced to leave behind. For the past two days, Sora had tried to occupy himself all the time, throwing himself into his training with Riku, exploring the island-it was actually quite different to the islands back home-and anything else possible, all to avoid… this. All to avoid thinking about the girl back home, the one whom he had gone to extraordinary lengths-even stabbing himself with a keyblade-to save. The girl named Kairi. 

He'd seen her just recently, just before the final fight with Xemnas. He'd only had a chance to talk to her, to just _see_ her, for just a few scant hours. And then, they had gotten through the dark portal, but it had shut without the two teenage boys. Who were now stuck in a completely different dimension to her. Life really sucked at the moment for the cerulean-eyed boy. Sure, he'd agreed to become part of the darkness with Riku, it had seemed like fun, you know? 'Hey, look at us. We saved the universe, now we're on the dark side.' But Sora hadn't understood what it was to be 'part of the darkness.' Surely it wasn't the same as becoming a heartless, was it? 'Cause Sora had been a heartless before, and had been really quite scary. Sure, it rankled him a little that he had only been a shadow, but at least Donald hadn't managed to kill him. And he had been saved by… Once more his thoughts turned to Kairi, having come full circle. And so the circle went on, always arriving back at the same image; A cute, redhead girl beckoning him from a dark portal. "Argh!"

He eventually yelled in frustration, angry with his brain. "Why, why, _WHY!_"

Riku watched his suffering friend from his hiding spot on the roof. There was little he could do. He desperately wanted to comfort Sora, to offer help, to do something. But, he just didn't know _what_. Riku had no idea what he was supposed to do, except let his friend suffer and eventually overcome this by himself. Riku had gone through a similar thing several months ago, when he had willingly accepted Ansem's power. He had believed he would never be able to see his two friends again. But it had all been to help his friends, so it hadn't bothered him as much as it was apparently bothering Sora.

The silver-haired boy sighed and walked over to the grumbling brunet. He sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. He gave Sora's shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Come on, you. We gotta get to bed, we officially start tomorrow."

Sora followed him inside, clambering in through the roof hatch, still brooding.

* * *

The brown-haired boy awoke to weak sunlight dappled across his face. He lay there for a while, his thoughts once more turning to the painful subject he so wanted to avoid. A tree outside rustled itself on his window. He felt himself slipping back into sleep, and he found he didn't care. He probably wouldn't care if he never woke up-A bucket of water suddenly appeared over him, then tipped over. Sora shot to full alert and sat up, nearly colliding with the bucket. He turned angrily on the grinning Riku. "Revenge, Sora. Now get up before I set your bed on fire." 

Sora blinked for a second. "How will you light a wet bed?"

"Easy, that was oil. Not water. Now, _get up,_" Riku growled, lighting a match. Sora rocketed out of bed, nearly tripping over the bed sheets in his haste to get away from the newly-formed pyromaniac. "Gah, get that away from me!" Sora backed away from his childish friend. "I-I'm soaked in oil!"

"Then you had better start running, Sora."

Riku lunged for him. Sora yanked the door open and fled down the hall, nearly colliding with several staff. He was on the fifth floor, the same floor as the rest of the staff. Sephiroth had the sixth floor to himself, naturally.

Sora sprinted for the stairwell, Riku in hot pursuit. Riku was easily more athletic than him, and was catching up quickly. Sora reached the fourth floor and swung over the banister to the next set of stairs, careening down them too.

In this method, he made his way to the very bottom floor, Riku right on his heels, a match ready to light held in his hand.

Sora's foot hooked under the rug and he went sprawling, sliding to a stop. Riku leapt for him, lighting the match in midair. Sora screamed as the burning piece of wood touched his oil-soaked clothes, sending streaks of flame shooting across his-wait a second. Sora looked down at the match, which had just gone out with a hiss. There were no flames, no burns. "Wha?"

"It was only water!" Riku cracked up laughing.

Two legs appeared in his vision. He followed them up, eventually meeting Sephiroth's cold gaze. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARE YOU IN YOUR PYJAMAS?! **AND** **WHY ARE THEY WET?!**"

Sora looked down at himself and instantly turned bright red. He'd just gone running through the house in soaked pyjamas. Then he glared at Riku, who was howling with laughter. "Bastard," he muttered before standing up with all the dignity he could muster-which isn't much for a person in wet PJ's-and sprinted for his room.

* * *

Sora and Riku were standing at the gate, waiting for the group to arrive. They had been standing here for half an hour now, and Sora was thoroughly bored. And naturally, his thoughts were slowly and inexorably turning back to Kairi, the auburn haired girl he'd lost once more. 

He suddenly felt something poke him in the ribs. He came back to the real world with a shock, yelping in surprise. "Sora, look there!" Riku was pointing at a bus that was trundling along the hidden road that went through the middle of the island. Heartless were chasing it, flying ones dive-bombing it. "Come on, we gotta go!"

The two boys summoned their weapons and ran for the bus, hoping like hell that they would get there in time.

A flying heartless, one with large bat wings, swooped down to grab a screaming child in its claws. Just before it got the child, _Oathkeeper_ ripped through the monster's chest, blasting it away. Surprisingly, the monster didn't evaporate as they usually did; apparently, here in the realm of darkness the Heartless didn't fade straightaway.

Sora and Riku attacked the Heartless with a vengeance, but the tourists didn't appear to need much help. Half of them looked like they were used to this, having coolly drawn assorted bladed weapons secreted around their person and utilising said bladed weapons. It quickly became apparent that heartless really didn't like having their legs and arms cut off.

The two boys lent a hand anyway, seeing as there were more Heartless approaching at a rapid pace, numbering several huge beasts among them. The keyblades quickly changed the tide of the battle, each strike rendering another Heartless dead.

Sora was fighting a battle of his own, one within him. Each time he lashed out against a Heartless, he felt something within him uncoil. Just for an instant. Each time it uncoiled, Sora felt a momentary flash of glee as the Heartless died an instant of desire to kill. A lull in the battle, and Sora immediately found himself craving more. He could feel the bloodlust welling up within him, a deep, burning desire to keep killing Heartless. To kill _anything_. "No, stop it!" Sora told himself harshly, drawing odd looks from the tourists. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!" He gripped his head as if he had a headache, shaking it from side to side. The brunet tried to quell the rising bloodlust, only just succeeding.

And then, the large monsters arrived.

A huge heartless, one that was roughly humanoid but had much longer arms and massive claws, managed to slip past Riku. Its scything talons ripped into Riku's back as it shot past, making the boy slump forwards and cry out in pain. The cuts weren't deep; the boy could still fight.

Sora witnessed all of this in a flash, his anger immediately bursting to full fury. The small knot in his stomach immediately uncoiled and Sora welcomed the bloodlust, the anger. His vision began to cloud over red, his skin and hair began to darken.

The keyblade suddenly floated out of his hand, flying around him. In his rage, Sora thought nothing of directing it with his will, of leaping for the monster which had maimed Riku. He landed on the monster's back, the keyblade lashing out with his wrath. He bit, clawed, scratched, kicked, did whatever it took. Seeing this had no effect, the crazed warrior grabbed the keyblade-which was now glowing an ominous black-and stabbed the Heartless repeatedly. The huge beast squealed and collapsed, its fingers beginning to fade away. The process was very slow here.

All the other Heartless backed away, their instincts telling them not to get close to the insane boy. Sora just kept hacking away at the dead creature, taking no notice of the Heartless preparing to attack him all at the same time.

Riku struggled to his feet, in awe of his friend's ferocity. He'd never seen this before, nor anything like it. He summoned his keyblade, meaning to help his friend, to knock some sense into him if he had to-when the Heartless lunged for him. "NO!" he screamed, knowing there was no way he could get there in time.

There was a flash of dark purple and the sound of something slashing through Heartless flesh. The Heartless fell away, tops separated from bottoms.

Sephiroth was floating dead over Sora, _Masamune_ clutched in one hand. He raised the other, pointing it at a group of Heartless. "_Harvest Death_ _Angel,"_ was all he said.

The Heartless were suddenly consumed by the ex-SOLDIER's attack, raw power tearing through them. The rest of the monsters scattered like flies, disappearing back into the ethers to get away from the psychotic flying man.

Said psychotic flying man landed delicately, avoiding the heartless corpses that were only just dissolving. The only sound audible was the grunting as Sora hacked away at the dead Heartless. The tourists, even the ex-warriors, were simply staring at their host in awe and fear.

Sephiroth glanced around, noting that there were no human bodies. "Well, welcome to my hotel people. If you would please step this way..." Sephiroth carefully sheathed his awe-inspiring, nine-foot katana and began to walk towards the hotel. He stopped next to Riku, who was trying to walk over to his still-berserk friend. "See if you can calm that idiot down. I need him to be functioning." Without another word, the silver-haired warrior-turned-hotel owner led the tourists towards the gates.

Riku stood just out of reach of Sora, afraid of his friend for the first time in his life. He watched quietly as the monster completely faded away, and Sora sank to his knees, sobbing. _Oathkeeper_ was banished with a thought; Riku took this as his cue. He hunkered down next to his friend. "Sora... What the hell happened?"

Sora looked at the white-haired boy, tears streaming down his face. "Ri-Riku, I lost my-myself! I c-c-couldn't c-control it!" he stuttered, crying all the while.

Riku's arm slid across his friend's shoulder. Sora's hair and skin both lightened, returning to their normal colour. Riku knew what was happening-he really didn't want to tell Sora though. But he had to. "Sora, please, listen to me." Sora quietened, sniffling slightly. "That... That was the darkness in your heart. But it hasn't taken over you completely, otherwise... you wouldn't be upset, I think." Riku racked his brains, trying to think of a better way to explain it. "Basically... You have to fight it, Sora. I didn't, and look where it got me. Remember our agreement? We chose to be in Darkness, so we'll be in the dark in our own way. Not succumbing to it, but controlling it. We'll use the darkness, not let IT use US. Understand?"

Sora nodded dumbly. "So... You want me to fight _that?_ How?"

Riku only shook his head and squeezed Sora's shoulder. "Sora, I don't know. I really, really don't know."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

**Author Talk once more:** **Okay guys, here's the deal. I love writing this story, but... Please tell me what you think! R+R!!! There's cookies and... and.. and cake!**

**Well seriously, once that little review counter hits 10 the next chappy goes up. 7 at least.  
**


	4. The Darkness is Nothing Without Light

**Disclaimer: I own this story and my ideas. I still dunno why I have to say all this...**

**Author's talk: Well hello there my faithful readers! (Looks around at nearly empty room) Dammit. Turns red I'm happy, 'cause there are people out there actually reading this.**

**For those of you unfamiliar with the Japanese schooling system,**

**Yr 1 - 6 Primary School**

**Yr 7 – 9 Junior High (or middle school)**

**Yr 10 – 12 Senior High.**

**Confused? Read on, dear readers.**

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chapter 4: The Darkness is Nothing Without Light

Night-time fell across the mansion. The patrons were safely inside the complex, amusing themselves until they chose to go to bed.

Our two heroes had been invited up to the sixth floor and were currently sitting Sephiroth's personal office. The room was painted in greys of all shades. The floor was a thick white carpet, the roof a swirl of greys. Set in the middle of the room was a huge oak desk, the kind that would probably survive a nuclear explosion and large enough that it could be used as a bomb shelter. To keep in proportion, Sephiroth's chair was a massive leather armchair set on a swivel, the back of the chair reaching up past his head. Sora and Riku were sitting on the opposite side of the desk in similar leather chairs, though the chairs were not quite so big.

_Sephiroth looks really weird in a business suit,_ Sora thought to himself. Indeed, the One-Winged Angel was wearing a blue pinstripe suit, the suit jacket buttoned up. His tie was a darker shade of blue, set over-quite naturally-a light blue collared shirt. Sephiroth was leaning back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of his face. His mako green eyes pierced the two boys alternately.

"Now, can one of you tell me _what the hell happened out there._" Sephiroth asked. Even though he didn't raise his voice once, there was a definite hint of a threat in there.

Neither of the boys spoke for an instant, then Riku volunteered. "Uh, um, I think... That was the darkness in Sora's heart."

The silver haired man's eyes flashed. "That explains a lot." Sephiroth turned his gaze to Sora, who visibly shrunk back. "Sora. You don't understand, do you?" Sora's head shook fiercely. "Well, as you know this is the realm of Darkness. What that means is here, the darkness within your heart is more at home. It's more powerful, hence it becomes easier to succumb." Sephiroth breathed out heavily. "Those who live here are a hardened lot. They have been fighting the internal battle for so long that it's done subconsciously now, like breathing or blinking. But to a light-denizen like you, it is very easy to surrender to the darkness."

Comprehension dawned visibly across Sora's face. "So, if I were to give in, the darkness takes over and I become a Heartless?"

Sephiroth thought for a few seconds. "No, no I don't think so. You have become a Heartless once before, correct? Your body will remember that, and not allow it. So, giving into the darkness will... turn you into something more. More than a Heartless," Sephiroth explained.

"Like chicken pox," Riku offered.

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes, exactly. But, there's another part. Riku, you use the powers of the darkness, don't you?"

Riku's head bobbed up and down. "But, there was a time when the dark controlled me. I didn't become a Heartless, but..." Riku shivered. "It was scary. It was like my rational side was locked away. I could see everything, but I couldn't do anything about it."

Sephiroth smiled grimly. "Bingo. It's nearly impossible to control the powers of darkness without losing some part of yourself."

Sora shivered, thoroughly scared. "So, what do I do?"

Sephiroth's grin vanished. "_Don't give in. No matter what the darkness offers._"

* * *

Sora lay in bed, staring at the roof. Around him, he could hear the noises of the staff settling down for the night. Worse, he could hear their mutterings. "I heard-" "-New kid-" "-Crazy-" "-Stabbing-" 

The mutters went on and on. Sora growled softly and rolled onto his side, bending the pillow over so one half went over his ear. _What happened? I can't remember much..._

_**YOU CAN BE GIVEN POWER.**_

_Wha? Am I hearing voices? In my head?_

_**THE POWER OF DARKNESS.**_

The voice went on, ignoring his interruption. Sora shook his head. _"Don't give in." he said. Well, that won't be hard. I don't wanna have to listen to this voice in my head forever..._

_**WHY WILL YOU NOT ACCEPT IT?**_

_Because I want to stay ME! I'm Sora! S-O-R-A!_

_**I OFFER YOU POWER... BEYOND YOUR WILDEST DREAMS.**_

Sora sat bolt upright. _This is getting nowhere,_ he thought glumly. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and walked across to the small basin. He gripped the basin and looked at his reflection. He did NOT like what he saw.

* * *

"What can I do to help him?" The white-haired teen asked his current employer. "I don't wanna see Sora consumed by the darkness... Not like I was." 

Sephiroth rubbed his temples. "I was kinda hoping I wouldn't have to deal with this problem so soon. Normally it takes months before the darkness starts trying to come out. Riku, all I can offer is stay beside him. Keep him company, keep him in good humour. And above all, try and avoid getting him into conflicts."

* * *

Staring back at Sora was his own face, twisted and blackened. He could see into his eyes; every now and then, little black specks would float across them. It was only for an instant. Sora groaned and shut his eyes, shaking his head roughly. When he opened them, he saw his normal face once more; Dark brown, spiky hair set atop a soft visage more ready to smile than frown, cerulean eyes that normally shone with exuberance. Sure, his eyes were dull and slightly glazed over, but at least they were _his._

Sora reluctantly climbed back into bed, ignoring the dark mutterings deep within his subconscious. Sleep soon claimed him, pulling him down into a dream-filled oblivion...

* * *

_Shadows. Lots and lots of shadows. And not the Heartless kind, either. These were people's shadows, walking around, talking, fighting, screaming, loving, all the things normal people do. The shadows looked like they had shape, not sliding along the ground but almost as if the shadow was the real person. Sora glided through them, moving faster and faster. The buildings around him were shadows, too. As Sora flew past, he thought he recognised some of them... Yes, he was sure of it now! That there was the high school, here was his house and Riku's-they were neighbours-Then Sora was skimming along and the shadows all became blurs again._

_Everything suddenly screeched to a halt. At least, Sora THOUGHT it did-it was a little hard to tell when everything was shadow. Everything was drawn in colours ranging from dark grey to black. So anyway, Sora thought that movement had stopped. At least, if the fact that there was a house in front of him-in full colour- and it wasn't moving was any clue, he was definitely stationary._

_It was HER house. The one he had done all of this for. Sure, he had occasionally gone on about 'duty' and 'what's right' and all that crap, but that was all on the surface. Granted, those things mattered. Not nearly as much as protecting HER. Then a person stepped out of the coloured house. It was HER. Red hair, waving in the slight wind. Eyes the colour of violets. A face that Sora knew too well. Soft, luscious lips, cute nose, tear-stained cheeks, slim and gorgeous eyebro-whoa, back up there. _

Sora rolled over in his sleep, cursing incoherently.

_The girl was crying! Kairi, the one he had worked so hard to protect ever since he had met her, was CRYING! Well, damn. The sight of Kairi crying tickled a memory of his, from waaaaay back when they had just entered middle school._

Sora was always slightly overprotective of his friends. Well, his friend Riku could easily take care of himself. Bullies and hooligans stayed well away from him ever since one of them had ended up with two broken arms (in three places on each) and strung up the flagpole. _Upside down_. So Sora protected Kairi, Tidus, Wakka, Selphie; all of them.

Anyhoo, on this one occasion that took place at the school lunchroom, Kairi had accidentally bumped a senior, who spilled his spaghetti bolognaise all down his shirt and tie.

**Enter the flashback**

"I'm so sorry, sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry!" Kairi babbled to the senior. The older student spun about and looked down his nose at the cowering girl. "I really didn't mean to bump yo-" Kairi's apology was cut off by the student backhanding her across the face. "Sorry? _Sorry? _Is that all you can say?" The student went to backhand her again, this time catching Sora across the cheek, who didn't flinch at all. Sora had managed to get between the two; his eyes were now by themselves probably responsible for ninety percent of global warming. If eyes could shoot daggers, Cloud's infamous Buster Sword would be skewering the hapless year 8 right about now.

"Don't get in the way, idiot," the year eight growled. "Or else you'll get hurt."

The older student tried to shoulder past him to get at the now-sobbing Kairi. Everyone in the dining hall was staring and whispering, pointing at the year eight who was easily twice Sora's height and looked like he could knock someone flat easily. Sora didn't budge. The tall student clenched a fist and cocked it. "Well then, perhaps this'll teach you not to get in my way."

At that point, Sora noticed Kairi's sobbing from behind him. His eyes flashed and he exploded into motion. He grabbed the year eight by the front of his shirt and lifted him, tripping at the same time. The year eight ended up on his back on a lunch table, Sora jumping up on top of him-one foot landing in a place no boy should ever be hit. The boy instantly squealed in an unhealthily high pitch. Sora bent close, eyes burning holes into the year eight's face. "And maybe _this_ will teach _you_ to accept a mistake.

The year eight had left the school a day later, babbling about psychotic underclassmen with super strength.

**Leave the flashback**

"_Funny how a sight like this can make people remember silly things like that," Sora's dream-self muttered as he continued watching Kairi._

_It was about then that Sora noticed the shadows. They always slunk back from Kairi; if she stepped close to a shadow-person, the shadows fled to reveal their true look. _

"_Wha?"_

KAIRI IS THE LIGHT IN YOUR DARKNESS. REMEMBER THAT.

"_What the hell? More crazy voices? Kairi is my light? What's that mean?"_

YOU WHO HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SHIELD FOR THIS GIRL; IT IS HER TURN TO BE YOURS.

"_Wha?"_

* * *

Sora woke up with one hell of a headache. His mouth felt like it had been used as an ashtray by the whole bloody _world,_ and his eyes felt like they had accumulated at least half a litre of sand each. The brunet groaned and tottered over to the washbasin, rinsing his eyes out thoroughly. "What on earth was that dream all about?" 

_Light in the darkness? A shield?_ Sora just put it down to more crazy mutterings from the darkness within; he could feel the voice now, trying to coerce him into submitting to the darkness that he could feel growing in his heart. Sora groaned again and changed into some semblance of clothing before making his way downstairs.

Imagine, for a second if you will, the sight that greeted Riku. You will then be able to see why he screamed like a little girl-no offence to little girls out there, but you _do_ scream.

He was calmly sitting at a table eating a slice of toast slathered in peanut butter. His eyes are shut as he sighs with happiness at being able to eat a substance made out of peanuts. Riku loves his peanuts. He hears a thump across the table, a thump normally associated with a person a little shorter than him sitting down. _Must be Sora,_ the white-haired teenager thinks. He cracks one eye open to make sure that Sora didn't help himself to Riku's only jar of the peanutty goodness-it was very difficult to get all the way out here, and Sephiroth included one jar a week as part of his pay-and shut it again. Then he opened both eyes this time, to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him. The kid sitting across from him _was_ Sora was clear. But it was Sora after being dragged backwards through Hell with only a bucket of water for company. The boy's hair was drooping down over his face, still dirty and streaked with lord knows what. His eyes were dull and unfocused, the whites of his eyes a strange shade of yellow. (Which, by the way, is a sign of stress.) His mouth was hung open as if the kid was the walking dead, the boy's clothes rumpled and they looked as if he had walked across them. In fact, he also had several new scrapes, suggesting he had found a faster way down the stairs than simple walking. All five flights of them.

So Riku screamed like a little girl, spraying said boy across the table from him with his precious peanut butter. The loss of the delectable treat made Riku scream all the harder, making him lose more, and so on until the boy fainted.

Suffice to say, Sora woke up properly at about this point.

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Yo, it's Niccolo again! Hey, since you guys just read this, could you possibly review it? It's my first fic after all, I wanna know if I'm doing stuff right or not.**

**Review... or else I'll post a story about Dancing Sora. After neutering the poor boy, of course. And neither Riku nor Kairi will be very happy with that.  
**

**Hmm, next chapter goes up once I get five reviews for this one.**


	5. Don't Give In!

**Disclaimer: No comment  
**

** Author's Rambles: Well holy crappity. I haven't updated this story in soooo long! I'm so sorry guys!**

** This chapter is for Smoe, the only one who bothered to review chapter 4 at time of publishing.  
**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chapter 5: Don't Give In!

Sora watched dejectedly from the gate as the party of tourists left for the beach. Riku was leading them, _Way to Dawn_ resting comfortably over a shoulder.

A hand clapped down on his shoulder. Sora glanced up into the fearsome visage of his current employer. "Don't think about it, Sora. It's only for a few days, until you can prove you won't give in to it." Minutes earlier, Sephiroth had informed the boys that Sora would not be accompanying Riku as a guard. It was just too dangerous. So Sora only sighed and turned back to watch the group move around the edge of the mansion, on towards the beach.

Sora _tried_ not to think about it, he honestly did. But when a glance out of a window shows Riku lounging on a beach casting an occasional lazy look around for danger, or some minor task sends him outside from where he could smell the ocean, Sora's thoughts couldn't help but turn to what he was missing out on.

After about three hours, Sora was sent on some other meaningless task outside. The staff had clearly decided that he needed to keep busy and so forced him to pretty much become their slave-boy. Sora stepped outside into the weak sunshine and trudged down the path towards the first machine-gun, polishing rag in hand.

There was a 'snikt' behind him. Sora barely had enough time to summon _Oathkeeper_ and block the swing of Sephiroth's mighty weapon. "What the hell?" he yelled at the silver-tressed man in the blue business suit.

"I'm sick and tired of you moping around, so I decided to help you. Sora, if you succumb at all during our fight, _I will kill you._ Now, show me your strength!"

Sora knew what was coming, even before the man vanished. He blocked the dozen or so flickering attacks easily, spinning and counterattacking in the same breath. He could feel the darkness welling up, trying to burst out at the smell of a fight; he quashed it and envisioned it being locked away in some deep, dark corner of his mind. It seemed to work.

Back and forth the two fought, keyblade and katana clashing again and again. Sora almost got in several strikes, but the wily ex-SOLDIER blocked each and every one. Sora had several near-death encounters, but managed to somehow dodge them all.

Ten minutes later, Sephiroth called a halt. He slumped down, leaning against a gun emplacement. "Whoa, you're stronger than last time I fought you," he said thoughtfully. "Though you seem to keep getting distracted. Why?"

Sora shrugged. "I've got a battle inside me as well, remember? I'm busy trying to keep the stupid darkness down while dodging your ridiculously large sword."

Sephiroth's eyebrow shot up. "What's that about _Masamune_?"

Sora flapped his hand tiredly. "Nothing, nothing. Jeez, I'm tired." He flopped down onto the ground, avoiding a miniature garden gnome that was shaped like a moogle.

All of a sudden the sounds of a battle drifted from past the fence. Sephiroth and Sora jumped to their feet, looking over to where Riku and the tourists were. They were surrounded by hundreds of heartless, including one that gave Sora the shivers; it was one of the first Heartless he had ever met. _Darkside... No way!_ Sora bolted for the fence, ignoring all sensibility which would dictate using the gate. He sprinted down the garden, covering the two hundred metres in the space of about ten seconds. As he approached, he felt the Darkness within him rising again. _No, no, no! I can't! Go away!_ He shouted.

_YOU NEED POWER TO DEFEAT YOUR ENEMIES_

_I don't want your power! Riku's in danger, leave me alone!_ Sora mentally shouted, running face-first into the fence. He gripped the bars, looking through. Riku and the tourists were hard-pressed by strange, shadowy heartless that looked almost human. The heartless would disappear and reappear constantly, making them very difficult to actually hit. _Damned neoshadows! How do I get over there?_

As Sora watched, a neoshadow got past Riku's defence, biting him on the arm. Riku dropped _Way to the Dawn_ with a cry. All at once, Riku was swarmed over by many more, slowly being dragged down to his feet.

At that point, two things happened. Sora felt the darkness rising within him, and he welcomed it. _Give me your power, darkness. I WILL master you._ His skin darkened almost to a shadowy black, and _Oathkeeper_ turned black and exploded into ten little balls of shadow that whizzed around him. He paid them no heed, instead using his newfound strength and speed to vault straight over the fence, landing amongst the Heartless, lashing out with clawed hands. Each of the little balls of shadow latched on to one of his finger, growing and changing until they had become three-inch-long claws which Sora used with great abandon, ripping and tearing through the Heartless with all the fury of a storm.

The heartless swamping Riku were all killed within seconds, their shadowy bodies ripped to shreds. They slowly began to evaporate, their essence drifting upwards to dissipate in the dim sky. Sora didn't stop, instead tearing through any other Heartless that came close to him. His fury made heartless and tourist alike back away in fear; it was clear that at this point, Sora did not distinguish between friend and foe.

But he was so _fast!_ No heartless could escape his claws, and anything caught by them was dead in the matter of milliseconds, torn into hundreds of little pieces. All at once, hundreds of Heartless attacked Sora at once, coerced into attack by the huge Darkside. Riku, who was lying on the floor, could have sworn that he saw Sora grin evilly just before the heartless converged, covering him in a wriggling, shifting mass of shadow bodies.

The pile of heartless flesh exploded, sending neoshadows in every direction. Surrounding the now-deranged Sora were ten whizzing _things,_ which left streaks of colour behind them as they flew through the air. Sora turned to the Darkside, his contorted, blackened face stretching into a sickening grin. He raised his hands in front of him, pointing them at Darkside. Darkside raised a fist in answer, preparing to squash the boy flat. The ten things collected into a ball in front of Sora, and began to shimmer and pulse, sending out sparks of purple lightning. Sora laughed maniacally and leapt for the monster, the ball of black energy held in one hand. He thrust the ball straight into its face, where it exploded. There were beams of an eerie black light piercing through Darkside as it screamed loudly in pain, glass in the nearby windows shattering. The monster twisted and turned, trying to get at the offending attack. Sora only pressed the ball in further, eliciting more screams from the monster. With one final pulse, the ball exploded into a huge shockwave, instantly rendering the huge beast into dust.

Sora fell to the ground, gasping. His skin and hair had returned to normal, and the ten little orbs formed back into _Oathkeeper_ in front of him. He looked over at Riku, whose eyes were filled with fear and mistrust. "Riku... what have I done?"

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

** Guys, please R&R!**

**Niccolo out.  
**


	6. A Sanctuary?

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Disclaimer: Unnecessary. You know.**

**Author's rambles: Well, my mind is currently poking me in my skull 'cause I'm forcing it to work. It's running on low batteries... I could really do with some chocolate now. Oh, by the way... Dark Sora is NOT anti-Sora. Anti Sora is a pain in the ass at the best of times. Dark Sora is... well... what Anti-Sora was MEANT to be. In my mind, anyway.**

**Let's have a blast, 'kay?**

Chapter 6: A Sanctuary

"Riku... what have I done?" Sora said, tears rolling down his face. He had just obliterated a small army of Heartless, including one of the largest, most powerful breeds of shadow. The weeping boy huddled there among the dead Heartless which were only just fading away, silent witness to the fury of the Darkness.

A flash of purple darkness and light, and Sephiroth was there. "Come now, people. More Heartless may soon attack, so please make your way back to the mansion," he urged, herding the tourists back to the gates. He walked past the crying brunet without looking down. Soon, only Riku and Sora were left on the beach, accompanied only by the harsh, bitter wind that blew in off the ocean.

After ten or so minutes, Riku noted that the crying had stopped. He sat down next to Sora, slipping an arm around the younger boy's shoulders. "Come on, we should go." Sora pulled out of his one-armed hug, stood up and began to walk away.

"I'm not going back, Riku. I'm much too dangerous." Sora turned and began to walk away, but a sudden flash of dark purple light made him stumble backwards. Sephiroth stepped out of the ethers.

"Where do you think you're off to?" the mako asked.

Sora shrugged. "Somewhere where I won't be dangerous." With that, he pushed past his employer and walked off down the beach, in the direction of the docks. With an apologetic glance at Sephiroth, Riku ran after him, determined to accompany his friend.

He eventually caught up to Sora, simply moving into step next to him. So, where we off to?" he asked, more to break the silence than anything else.

"If I asked you not to come, would you listen?"

"Yup."

"Would you still come though?"

"Yup."

"You do know that I'm dangerous?"

"Yup."

"That's really annoying, you know."

"Yup."

"Damn it, stop doing that!" Sora yelled, exasperated. He stepped onto the dock and walked over to one of the dinghies, beginning work on the ropes.

"Hey, wouldn't the ferry-or a ship-be smarter? What if we get attacked by heartless?"

Sora stared at Riku as if he was being stupid. "And what if I transform again? Riku, this time I nearly turned on the people! Next time, I may not be able to stop myself!"

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, we'll do this your way. Come on, shove over," he shoved Sora to the side, setting to work on the knots. His long fingers worked with deft ease, quickly pulling the knots apart. He hopped into the boat and beckoned Sora in. "Come on, let's go!"

The younger boy jumped in, years of experience with boats on Destiny Islands stopping him from making the boat rock. With nary a backwards glance at the mansion that had been their home for a scant week, the two boys began to row for the mainland, moving under the strange twilight that was midday in the Realm of Darkness. The sky was an eerie green, and was constantly clouded over during the day. There were few waves and fewer heartless, so the row across was short and uneventful; what few monsters that were stupid enough to attack were taught better by _Way to the Dawn._

* * *

Riku and Sora stepped out of the boat on the mainland, tying their boat up at a dock. Riku seriously doubted that they would be using it again, but you never know... Once that task was accomplished, they examined the town before them. Fortress would have better described it. Ten-foot high walls, topped by towers sixty feet high. Gunners patrolled the top of the wall continuously, occasionally shooting down any flying heartless that got too close.

The two boys made their way up to the gates slowly, an uncomfortable silence stretching between them. The path up to the town was barren and blasted, craters and scorch-marks every where. Riku looked around, eyes widening at the devastation. "There must have been a big battle here," he said quietly. Sora only mumbled a response, his brooding thoughts elsewhere. "Come on, cheer up! Remember last year, how we said we'd go exploring other lands?" Riku asked, trying to get Sora to talk. "Well, we're doing that now! We're on an adventure that doesn't have the fate of the universe as the gamble! We can finally adventure for ourselves, so let's enjoy it!"

Sora's head just shook dumbly. "No, I can't enjoy it... Riku, how can I enjoy the darkness within me?"

Riku threw back his head and laughed, drawing an odd look from the gatekeeper. "That's why we're going to go adventuring! Out there, nothing but us and the Heartless!"

Sora smiled faintly before letting it fade back into a brooding frown. "Riku, I'll wait out here."

"Nonsense, nothing will happen inside! Besides, they may even have something which could help you!" Riku said excitedly, his eyes gleaming at the possibilities beyond the iron grate.

Sora shook his head quickly. "No, no, no! I don't want to risk it! How would I feel if I came to with blood on my hands?" he argued, nearly reduced to tears now at the thought.

Riku grinned. Time for him to play the part he hadn't played for many years. "Don't worry, Sora. I'm here, right? I won't let you hurt anyone. I'll protect you AND them. So, you gonna come in?"

Sora stood defiantly for a moment longer, then sighed and followed Riku in through the doors to Haven, as the large and gaudy sign proclaimed this town to be.

The two boys walked slowly, their eyes looking everywhere and their jaws nearly touching their feet. There were people everywhere! And they looked like normal humans, not hard-bitten fighters. Sure, they looked hardier than the people who lived back home, their faces of a harsher and firmer cut; more muscled people and less tubby people than back home roamed the streets too. And there were shops everywhere, selling everything from weapons to fine clothing to mugs shaped like miniature fish. "Looks kinda like the bazaar I saw in Arabia," Sora murmured thoughtfully. And indeed it did, save for the lack of desert sun and sand. And Heartless.

"So, what shall we look at first?" Riku asked, staring at a store that appeared to be selling model miniatures of him and Sora, of all things. "Hey, are those models of us?"

Sora looked at him, then at the store he was pointing at. "Let's go see!" he said, his earlier sobriety gone in the face of exuberance. He tugged Riku over to the store, pulling him through the small crowd that were moving past it. He went inside, moved to a table and bent over, looking at them closely. "Hey, they are! Look, this one's you!" Sora cried softly, holding up a tiny model of Riku, complete with _Way to the Dawn_ held in its grasp. "But, it doesn't look quite right..."

The store owner grabbed the model. "I assure you, the models are perfectly exact!" he proclaimed in a peculiar drawl. "It is not a well known fact, but as these models show, Lika's keysword clearly is blue!"

Sora and Riku just looked at each other. "And... Lika has... black hair?" Riku asked, resisting the urge to summon his keyblade now and prove the man wrong.

"Well... hmm, you seem like a knowledgeable fellow. Our source is not totally reliable, you know. He can only see in black and white." The shopkeeper explained, clearly hesitant to be revealing his secrets. "However, if you know the correct details, then I will be happy to credit you?" he said questioningly, pulling a notebook out of his pocket. His store was empty save for the three of them.

Riku smiled. "Well, first off, who was your source?"

"A most odd fellow. He was completely orange, except he had a black nose." The store owner said vaguely.

"Pluto? You used a _dog_ as your source?" Sora yelled, surprised that someone could actually _speak_ Dog.

The store owner shifted uncomfortably. Completely avoiding the question, he moved on; "So, will you tell me the correct details?"

Sora grinned. "Okay. For a start, my hair is brown, not fluoro orange. And it's a keyblade, not a keysword. And mine looks like..." he held out a hand to the flabbergasted shopkeeper and summoned his weapon. A blackened key appeared. The handguard was jagged instead of the curves _Oathkeeper_ normally had, and the teeth were now a nasty shade of grey. But its shape was definitely recognisable as that weapon he had used since Kairi had given it to him. "What the... that's not _Oathkeeper_!" he exclaimed, looking his tarnished weapon over. "What happened to it?"

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Rambles: I'm so sorry that this one took so long to come out, and it's so short! My brain has sorta fizzled recently, so... well, anyway, here it is regardless. I hope you enjoyed it, so please take a moment to review it!**


	7. Hope!

**Disclaimer: You KNOW, for Goodness' sake.**

**Author's Rambles: Yeah, well, sue me. My mind declared it was on hiatus about three weeks ago... and I only just convinced it to come back and wor-does anybody actually read this thing?**

**By the way... This story is dedicated to Smoe for being a wonderful reviewer and inspiring me to continue poking my neuro matter for this stuff.  
**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chapter Seven: Hope?!

Sora stared at his blackened blade, his mouth opening and closing, no words coming out. _Oathkeeper... what happened to it?_ Was all he could think, over and over again.

"Jeez Sora... That's not right. What'd you do to it, forget to clean it?" Riku joked half-heartedly. The store owner only muttered under his breath and made a funny sign on his chest, one Riku and Sora recognised as a sign against evil.

Sora glared at Riku. "That's not funny, you know! It feels _sick!_" He didn't know how to describe the feeling that he got from the link he had to this blade. As he held it, it seemed to burn and freeze his hand at the same time, and felt as if it was covered in a coat of oily, greasy stuff. Just holding the weapon made him want to retch. He quickly banished the blade, tears streaming down his face. "Riku, what do I do now? I-I think that was the darkness... But why?"

Riku crossed his arms, thinking hard. The store owner looked from one teen to the other, then suddenly held a hand up as if getting an idea. "I know! I can release a new series of figurines! _Darkened Keymaster,_ I'll call it!" he crowed proudly, clearly envisioning himself making millions from his new idea.

Riku groaned, grabbed Sora by the collar and hauled him out the shop. "Come on, let's go find a better place to talk about this."

* * *

The white-haired teenager reclined on top of the tall building, looking out over the view. It was nearly moonrise that selfsame night, and Riku had managed to climb up the tallest building in the fortress town called 'Haven', and was looking out over the expansive plains beyond the city walls. Behind him, if he looked carefully, he could have seen the Islands that were a perversion of his homeland, but looking at them made him want to cry. And Riku never cries. Ever. Period. So he simply chose not to look at the Islands, instead looking out over their new home. It was clear that Sora couldn't stay within Haven's walls, so they would have to go outside.

"I bring food!" came Sora's happy voice from behind him. Riku turned, his gaze drifting to the two steaming hot wraps in Sora's hands.

"How did you get up here carrying those things, hmm?"

Sora glanced down at the two wraps, then back over his shoulder at the wall he had just ascended. His face turned back to Riku, a blank look splashed across it. "I... jumped, I think," he laughed, handing a wrap to Riku. "So, what do we do now?"

Riku took a bite of the wrap, pleasantly surprised by the lamb inside, It was lightly spiced, hints of turmeric and sage. He hadn't tasted anything quite like it since he had left the Islands. "Well... I don't think we can stay here," he said slowly. "See, the Heartless follow the keyblade's scent, or something like that. The darkness is attracted to them. Something to do with their nature."

"So, staying here would put the people in danger?" Sora finished, just wanting confirmation.

"If we haven't already, yeah. On top of that is the fact that if you transform, you make no distinction between human and Heartless, so you'll be a danger as well," Riku explained, taking another bite of his wrap. "So we have to leave as soon as possible."

Sora didn't reply, he just stared glumly at his wrap. When no words were forthcoming, Riku turned to his friend. "C'mon, cheer up! Don't worry about it, we'll fix that together!"

"I s'pose..." Sora replied quietly.

* * *

They stood at the front gate once more, looking out over the barren landscape in front of them. Haven was indeed a 'haven', as outside its walls was nothing but desert. And heartless. Sora shrugged. "C'mon, Riku. Never a better time to start than now." He jerked his backpack into a better position and began to march steadily out into the landscape.

Riku started. _He's in a hurry. Can't say I blame the kid._ He quickly slung his backpack onto his back and hurried after the brunet.

For how long they walked, neither could tell. Soon Haven was a lingering dot on the horizon, the unchanging landscape of low hills and spots of scrub surrounding them completely. Riku had nothing but the sun (when it came out from behind the grey-green clouds) and a map to guide him. Thankfully, the sun rose in the north for some peculiar reason, so he had no trouble guiding himself and Sora.

Eventually he grew tired of Sora's stoic silence. "Hey bud, c'mon, liven up! Out here, it doesn't matter any more!"

Sora's face spun around, staring at the silver-haired teen. "Wh-what do you mean, it doesn't matter?"

Riku grinned. "Because there's nobody out here for the darkness to hurt! Here we can be anybody, do anything, and nobody can possibly get injured! So don't worry about _that_!" It sounded lame, even to him.

Sora shook his head. "Riku... I still don't wanna transform, ever again. Not if I can help it." He turned and stared fixedly ahead. "I... I don't want to be the darkness any more. It-It scares me."

Riku smiled. "I know, it scares me too. Shocking, huh?" he said, trying to elicit a laugh from his friend. "But... still... I don't think there's a way out of here. I mean, there's no other gate into the realm of darkness, right? Didn't you seal them all?"

Sora was quiet for a moment longer. Suddenly an idea came to him, and a grin lit up his sombre face. For a moment, he was back to his old, cheerful face. "Hey Riku, Light and darkness can't exist without each other, right?" Riku nodded. "Well then," he continued; "They must meet somewhere."

Riku cocked his head to one side. "Wha? Where'd that come from?"

Sora shrugged, a feat in and of itself if you're wearing a heavy backpack. Finally, things were starting to look up! "Think about it! Darkness, shadow, is formed on the border of light! And light is controlled by shadow!"

Riku shook his head. "I still don't get it."

Sora sighed and stopped walking. He knelt down and held his hand a few inches above the surface of the earth. With his other hand, he pointed at his hand's shadow. This is the Darkness," he explained. Riku nodded. "And this," he said, pointing to outside the shadow; "Is the realm of Light. So they meet here!" he exclaimed, pointing at the border of the shadow.

Riku nodded, a lightbulb clicking on in his brain. "Ah, so you're saying that there's a world that's in both the realm of Light AND the realm of Dark?"

Sora grinned. "Bingo. And I know which world it is."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Rambles: Mary, Mother of God. I cannot believe this crap. Look at that... points at story that was the largest crock of bull I have ever laid eyes on. Ah well.**

**Guys, please R&R. I wanna know that this story is loved... give me the strength to bother writing this story?**


	8. Letters from Home

**Disclaimer not needed. I own Kingdom Hearts.**

**Author's Nutty Splurge: Well, it's that time of year again. People frolic in the meadows, I find out people hate me... Wait, that happens year round. Damn.**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chapter 8: Letters from Home

Riku started. "You _know_?" He was shocked. _Sora's figured out how to get out of this place?_ While he didn't mind becoming the darkness once more, he had to admit; returning to the land of light filled him with a sense of excitement. The realm of the dark was so... dreary, as if the life had been clean sucked out of it. The plain, repetitive landscape bored him to no end, as did the dull sky that was almost continuously covered with grey-green, threatening clouds. So to get back to the Islands... to lie on the soft, golden sands under the evening light, Sora and Kairi next to him... to sit on the bent-over branch of the paopu tree and talk about whatever came to mind with his two friends... his heart skipped a beat at the thought of returning home.

Sora grinned. "Riku, did you ever meet Hercules?"

Riku's eyes grew really large; his jaw dropped and nearly hit the sand. "You're kidding, right? _Olympus_ is the border-world?" It made perfect sense, if you turned your head sideways, squinted your eyes just right and drank a lot of beer.

Sora grinned and leapt into the air, regardless of the fact that he had a heavy backpack on. He punched the unoffending air, laughing ecstatically. "It's the _underworld!_" He yelled, jumping around like a maniac. Riku just smirked and watched the leaping boy, quietly happy. The answer was so simple, once you knew it. Only in a place that borders Light and Dark could a being obtain god-like powers... So now they simply had to find their way to the Coliseum.

* * *

That night they camped out in the low hills that covered the plains outside Haven's walls. Riku sat hunched up, staring into the small fire that he had made. Even the fires here were weak and dull. He tossed another stick into the flames, watching it snap and crackle. _How will we get there? We have no ship, I doubt I could teleport us that far either. I highly doubt I could even use that power at all._ Now that he had a way to get back to the Light, he was reluctant to even think of drawing on the forces of Dark that resided within him. But... if the Heartless attacked, he may need the power. What to do?

* * *

Sora lay there, tossing and turning in his sleep. Since that dream a few nights ago he hadn't slept well, afraid of seeing HER again. He didn't want to dream again, didn't want to see the girl he was stupidly head-over-heels for crying. But he had reluctantly allowed sleep to claim his feverish mind, knowing he'd need the rest for the coming days. Getting to Olympus would be a feat in and of itself, one he had no idea how to accomplish. Then again, on the beginning of his journey he had had no clue as to who or what Ansem was, much less how to kill him. He had had no idea how to enter the "World that Never Was", but had managed that. He'd had no idea how to kill the damned card-player, but had managed _that_. So not knowing what to do didn't bother him. It was just doing it that did.

_Slowly, ever so slowly, his mind slipped into a dream. The soft blanket of sleep receded from his eyes, revealing a breathtaking view. He was high up, higher up than he had ever been before. Below him stretched a vast ocean, disappearing off over the horizon behind him, but bordering on coastline just ahead. Just off the coast – about a kilometre from the coast – were a series of islands, a ring of golden sand around the greenery of the jungle. "Destiny Islands?" Sora's dream-being muttered. Surely they were... at least this time they were in colour, and not in the weird greys of his last dream._

_He felt his dream-self plummet, soaring down towards the ground, gaining momentum with alarming pace. Just before hitting the soft sand of the beach, Sora's path angled out, taking him streaking along the coastline of the largest Island._

_There was the wooden fortress where Tidus and Selphie played... and that was the tiny isle that Riku and he often used to sit on to talk about anything. That was their racetrack... there was the small wooden shack that he slept in sometimes, along with his two friends._

ARE BOTH OF THEM YOUR FRIENDS?

"_Aw crud, not you again," Sora muttered. The voice didn't sound like the darkness that lived within him... it had a cleaner, clearer feel._

IS THAT ANY WAY TO TALK TO THE ONE WHO'S TRYING TO HELP?

"_Wha?" Sora's path halted, he was floating just over the entrance to the cave he had played in as a youngster. "You're trying to help me?"_

JEEZ. FINALLY. SO... PLAN ON ANSWERING MY QUESTION?

_Sora shook his head. "Where are you?"_

INSIDE YOU. I AM A PART OF YOU. JUST THINK ON MY QUESTION... AND WATCH.

_Sora floated gently downwards, towards the cave mouth. "Wha... what do you want to show me?" There was no answer. His dream-body shrugged and floated inside the cave, completely against his will._

_There before him was... HER. Shoulder-length red hair shifting ever so slightly in the eddies that formed in the cave. Her back was to him, her back, bent forwards as if she had the weight of the worlds on her shoulders. Sora felt his dream-feet touch down on the ground and he walked forwards, invisible feet padding silently through the sand. He stopped behind her, and without thinking slipped both of his hands around her, under her arms, linking his fingers together across her stomach._

_The redhead girl spun on the spot and stumbled backwards, her large, violet eyes trembling as they darted every which way. "So-Sora?" she asked timidly, her eyes still searching the cave._

_Sora waved a hand at her, but she took no notice. "Hey, I'm right here!" he called, furiously waving. Her eyes fastened in his direction but seemed to look right through him._

"_Di-did I just hear his voice?" she muttered. She shook her head. "No... No I didn't." She turned back to the wall and picked up a rock before scratching a line on the surface, a line in a whole succession of little lines. Twenty, to be exact. He tipped his head to one side. "Why so many lines?" he muttered softly._

EACH LINE IS ONE DAY YOU HAVE NOT BEEN HERE. TIME FLOWED STRANGELY WHILE YOU FOUGHT XEMNAS.

_The voice ricocheted around inside his head, dropping him to his knees. "Ease up on the volume!" he yelled. Kairi stiffened and spun around again._

"_Tidus, are you playing tricks on me?" she shouted. "Wakka...? Anyone?" The girl before him shrunk back against the wall, her violet eyes looking around. "Come on guys, that wasn't funny!"_

_Softer this time, Sora spoke once more to the weird voice. "What did you mean last time, when you said Kairi was my Light?" He got a weird idea that somewhere, the voice was smiling at him._

LOOK INTO YOUR HEART. FIND THE SPARK OF LIGHT WITHIN THERE, THEN YOU'LL KNOW.

_And with that, the presence was gone, leaving Sora all alone in the cave with Kairi, who couldn't see him._

_The slim redhead walked slowly along, gazing at each drawing that she, Riku and Sora had carved over the seven or eight years they had played together. Her hands trailed over the myriad little drawings, stopping with a slight hitch at the drawing she and Sora had **tried **to do of each other. Her hands traced over the carved paopu fruit that each was holding towards the other, her shoulders shuddering. Sora sidled around to see what the matter was._

_Her head bent over, sparkling tears tracing out paths down the side of her face. Her whole body shook with the silent sobs. Kairi's bottom lip was tucked between her teeth; she was biting it nearly hard enough to draw blood. "Kairi... don't cry. I'm coming back!" Sora insisted, trying to grab her by the shoulders. His hand passed right through her, but she reacted to his voice. Her head shot up and spun around, locking onto his position. "I swear, I'm coming back to you!" he yelled. He could feel himself being pulled away; feel himself being drawn back into wakefulness. "I l-"_

Kairi stared at the empty space. _What was that?_ she wondered, tears still tracking down her cheeks. _Was that... Sora? No way!_ She shook her head, it was all too surreal. _Sora... where are you?_

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's (likely) drug-induced mutterings: Hmm. This chapter was hard to write... hard to get the right feel for it. Yes, there are hints of SoKai. Sue me.**

**Please R&R!**


	9. The First Step is Always the Hardest

**Disclaimer: **_**Ear Clear: Ear drops for ear wax removal. Each ml contains 65 mg Carbamide Peroxide**_

**Author's Mutterings: Holy Shit. Am I seriously updating this?**

**Damn straight I am. It's sitting here, unfinished. And you know what? I don't like that. **

**This is pretty sad… I left this story to rot for nearly three months. To anybody still reading this, I'm very sorry that you had to wait so long.**

**But I've decided to finish this story no matter what. **

**00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chapter 9: The First Step is Always the Hardest

Sora muttered and mumbled, trying to light a fire in the pre-dawn light. Last night's dream had woken him up a few hours ago; after trying to get back to sleep, he had simply given up and come fully into wakefulness.

He sat there, trying to flick the match. _I can't believe it… twenty days have passed already? Twenty days since she went back to the Islands, just before Riku and I fought Ansem?_ The brunet ticked the days off on his finger. _That means it took us about fifteen days to kill him. Weird._

Finally a spark caught the tinder and a small flame flickered into life. He quickly added some more tinder, his breath misting in front of his face. He shivered; the Realm of Darkness was cold, and even more so here in the desert hills outside Haven. He stuck a few sticks into the guttering flame. "C'mon… stay lit, stay lit!" he urged quietly; his friend, comrade and sometimes-rival Riku was probably still asleep.

A chilly wind eddied through the campsite; the tiny flame surged once and went out. Sora leapt to his feet, stamping them angrily. "Goddammit!" he yelled. He spun on his heels, his keyblade forming in his hands as he did so. He pointed it at the sticks and yelled "FIRE!"

There was a massive explosion. The brunet went flying, landing on his back. Riku rocketed to his feet, his black keyblade already in his hand. "What the hell was that?" he asked the dizzy Sora.

Sora rolled to his feet and grimaced embarrassedly. "I was trying to light the campfire… and I kinda overdid it a bit, I think," he muttered, his cheeks red. Riku muttered darkly and slipped back into his sleeping bag, facing the merrily burning fire. Sora sat cross-legged in front of it, _Oathbreaker_ resting in his lap.

He looked closely at the jagged, warped blade. Its surface appeared to be slick with oil, and looking too closely at it hurt the eyes. He grimaced and tried to will it away, but it didn't leave. "Ugh… Go away, you ugly thing," he muttered.

Riku snorted. "You feeling angry or something?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah… Had a weird dream last night. I was back on the Islands, with Kair-" at her name, the keyblade suddenly began to glow. "What the HELL?" Sora yelled, dropping the oversized key in fright. "What on Earth is going on?"

The glowing finally stopped; Sora hesitantly picked up the keyblade, looking closely at it. "Huh…? Hey Riku, look at this!"

Riku scrabbled over, dragging his sleeping bag with him. "Whoa…"

The keyblade was once again a pale cream, the _Oathkeeper_'s soft curves restored. Gone was the oily sheen, gone were the jagged edges on the handguard. "Bwuh?" was all Sora could think of saying.

_You'd better come back to me!_

Sora glanced around. "Riku… did you just hear a voice?"

Riku shook his head, then clapped his hand to Sora's forehead. "Are you sick?" he asked, concerned.

Sora flicked his hand away. "I swear, I just heard Kairi's voice!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "Riiiight. Come on, let's get out of here. That fire will have attracted Heartless from all over; we can eat on the road."

Sora stood up and began packing up his gear. "Where are we headed?"

Riku grinned. "Wherever the wind takes us, my friend. Something will get us home, don't you worry."

* * *

"You ever seen something like this before?" Sora asked Riku, staring ahead.

Riku shook his head and swallowed. "N-nope…" His gaze drifted across the sight before them. "I wonder what the hell happened here…"

Before them was a massive field, spotted in huge blackened patches. There were huge piles of what looked like incinerated cubes, scattered randomly over the field. Off in the distance, Riku could see a few shapes that looked like crashed fighters; one of them looked to be absolutely huge. "What the hell…?" Sora muttered, his eyes huge. "They look like…"

"GUMMY SHIPS!" Riku yelled excitedly, running down towards the blasted lands. "I don't believe it! Gummi ships!"

Sora followed him reluctantly, his eyes twitching at every movement. The wind was blowing in and among the carnage stirring up little dust-devils that immediately collapsed once the wind left them behind. Sand was covering most of the ships, some nearly completely buried, betrayed only by the huge lump in the desert field. "Riku… can you feel something?" he asked, his spine tingling. His tingly spine had never led him wrong before.

Riku appeared on top of a small ship, looking down at him. He had a huge gummi block balanced over his head. "Wha? What are you talkin' about, Sora?" he asked quizzically, lobbing the gummi block off the roof. It bounced a little before fastening against the side of a ship, making it look like it had a cubical cancer growing off it.

"Riku… what made all these ships crash?" Sora yelled, clambering up the side of the ship.

Riku shrugged, trying to pull another cube out of the hole he had made. "Heartless, probably."

"Aaaand… where do you think these Heartless are?" Sora asked, crossing his arms.

Riku shrugged again, heaving against the stubborn block. "I dunno. Do you?" Sora hooked a hand through his long silver hair and wrenched his head back, forcing him to look out over the desert. "Oh… there."

As they had been talking, a vast swarm of Heartless had appeared out of nowhere. Evidently the creatures were very good at hiding themselves anywhere – Sora could see them pouring out of the side of gummi ships, out of holes in the ground, some were swooping in from the air. "Riku, we gotta do something," Sora said softly. "They can smell us, I think."

Indeed, the Heartless were slowly creeping closer, their various claws and teeth bared; or in the case of one particularly nasty winged creature, drawn their massive greatsword. "Ugh. I remember those… from the Bastion," Sora muttered darkly. "Absolute pain in the rear." He pulled his pallid white keyblade out of the ether, dropping into a combat stance. "Back to back?"

Riku nodded behind him, pulling his winged blade out too. "That's the only way to do this," he added. "Let's beat the shit through 'em."

Sora looked over his shoulder, raising his keyblade in a mock salute. "For eternity?"

Riku grinned and clapped his blade to Sora's. They both began to glow a soft yellow-white. "For an eternity, my friend."

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Ramblings: Hehehe. Hope you get the last part.**

**Now, please review, or else! **_**(Pulls out various instruments of torture – eggbeaters, chopsticks, thumbscrews and rats)**_

**You had better review, or Riku's gonna get it.**


	10. For Eternity

**Disclaimer: Yeah yeah, you get the message**

**Author's Notes: **_**BLEARGH-JIBBLE**_

**That's mah brain-meats spewing over the keyboard writing this story.**

**0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

Chapter 10: For Eternity

The two boys leapt off the top together, straight into the middle of the largest pack of Heartless. Their yellow-glowing keyblades magnified in size, until they were huge glowing blades of light. They landed, chopping and slashing in a frenzy, cleaving the monsters in two on both sides. They circled back-to-back, their oversized weapons keeping the shadowy monsters at bay. As one, the two boys ran, cutting Heartless down as they moved, no flesh or armour able to stand up to their blades.

Heartless fell in countless numbers, but there were always more to kill. Sora could feel the Darkness seething within him; bubbling and frothing, sparks of it playing through his system. He shuddered and shoved it down; just in time, he parried a sword-stroke from one of the nasty demon thingies. _Invisibles, _his mind told him.

He and Riku were still back to back; Riku was battling it out with another of the winged beasts. They were holding their own, but only thanks to the power of their magnified blades. They were fighting perfectly in sync; their keyblades were linked to their minds, and at the moment since their keyblades were 'linked' so were they.

Sora leapt up high and flipped backwards, twisting in midair to meet the _Invisible_ that Riku had been duelling as Riku ducked underneath his feet. Riku swung a violent uppercut and Sora chopped down vehemently, each cleaving their opponent in half. The brunet sighed and wiped his brow with the back of his hand as their magic expired, reducing their weapons back to normal size. "Dammit, they don't end!" he yelled, scything a clump in half. He pivoted, leapt up and spin-kicked a Heartless that had tried to pounce on him; as he landed, he released a ball of fire that had been building up on the tip of _Oathkeeper_ for a while. It exploded, sending wriggling, shadowy bodies everywhere. "Goddammit, just… go… AWAY!" he yelled, cutting one of the monsters in half.

Riku rolled his eyes and stabbed a Heartless in the gut, pushing it off his blade with one foot. "Don't lose it, Sora. Not even Heartless are infinite in number." He raised a hand and pointed it at a group of the monsters, firing off a blast of his Dark energy.

Or he tried to, anyway.

The Heartless just blinked at him as he examined his hand. One of the little monsters cocked it's head, letting out an inquisitive squeak. Riku just stared at it for a second before sighing, shrugging his shoulders and cleaving it in half. "At least they're stupid," he muttered. _So I really have lost them…_ he thought, half joyfully and half sadly.

Sora wasn't faring much better. He had used up most of his energy electrocuting the hell out of dozens of the little monsters at once; he had no fight left.

He looked up. One of the flying demon monsters was in front of him, preparing to charge. He grimaced and readied his 'blade. He jumped the gun, running the monster down hoping to get the jump on it. He leapt up, rising to meet the flying Heartless.

Halfway there, his keyblade abruptly vanished. Instantly, the fear held at bay by the fighting returned, filling his stomach with its cold weight. In front of him, the Heartless raised his blade to strike him down as his own jump carried him there.

_What happened?_ Was all he could think in the split seconds he had left. _Why did my keyblade disappear? Am I too tired…?_

With a mighty, last-ditch effort, he drew on every ounce of power his body had left. His keyblade exploded into being and shattered into ten oily black orbs of light; his skin blackened as if it had been burnt. The enraged boy raised one clawed hand; five of the orbs joined on and lengthened into claws.

He scythed easily through the hardened flesh of the flying monster, carrying right on through and landing in a clump of Heartless. The psychotic brunet fought tooth and nail, shredding Heartless on all sides in a whirling dervish of destruction.

Dark Sora crouched on all fours, looking for a new target. His fevered gaze locked onto a monster; thrusting out a hand, five of the orbs shot off and circled the Heartless rapidly, reducing it to a fine mist.

The darkened boy dashed forwards, disembowelling whole groups of Heartless at once; his rage and bloodlust knew no bounds. He moved faster than the eye could possibly follow; his passage could only be marked by the sudden disintegration of Heartless.

Riku watched the Dark boy's progress from a safe position on top of a ruined ship. "Holy shit…" he swore, glad he was out of the way. "How the hell am I supposed to stop him?"

In a few minutes, every Heartless was dead. Riku whistled softly. All of a sudden, the boy appeared in front of him and swung. Riku threw himself backwards, only narrowly missing being clawed in half. "Hey, Sora!" he yelled fervently. "CALM DOWN!"

Dark Sora showed no signs of relenting, launching himself at Riku again. Riku spun and slapped the boy with the flat side of his keyblade. "Come to your senses, you moron! What will happen when we meet Kairi?!"

The darkened boy froze at the mention of the girl's name.

_I TOLD YOU. KAIRI IS YOUR SHIELD._

Some of the colour returned to Sora's skin; the claws faded away. The red glow receded from his eyes, revealing Sora's normal cerulean orbs. They blinked, looking at Riku. "Ri… ku?" he asked slowly, as if half asleep. "Please… stop me…" he begged. "Please… I can no longer… control it!?

**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**

**Author's Breakfast of Spoons: Well well well… Sora's finally lost it. He's a wild animal now…**

**Please review this story, tell me that it's loved!**


End file.
